Alloy



Patented Apr. 26, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WARD S. IRELAND, OF BELOIT, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO LI PMAN REFRIGERATIONCOMPANY, OF BELOIT, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

ALLOY.

No Drawing.

This invention relates in general to alloys and has for its primarypurpose the production of a new and improved alloy, particularlysuitable for the manufacture of valve seats, valve discs, and the like.

In some types of fluid control apparatus, such as mechanicalrefrigeration systems, for instance, an extremely tight and leakprooffit between a valve and its seat is essential to successful operation.The grinding and lapping of valves and their seats together is not onlya tedious and expenslve operation, but it is extremely diflicult toobtain an absolutely accurate fit. Furthermore, minute particles of hardsediment or other foreign matter lodging on the seat will precludecomplete closure of the valve, with the result that leakage will occur.

In order to eliminate the expense and other disadvantages of grindingand lapping I valves and seats in an effort to attain a leakproof fit, Ihave devised my present invention, which when used as a valve seat, forinstance, produces a seat which issufliciently soft so that when thevalve is forced against it underextremely high pressure, the metal ofthe seat will How to a limited extent sufficiently to conform to andassume the exact shape of the valve which is being pressed into it. Inthis manner, an absolutely accurate fit between the valve and seat issecured.

The alloy, however, is sufficiently stiff or rigid so that it will notfurther flew, distort,

or be subject to deformation under the ordinary working pressures of thevalve. Consequently, any likelihood of the metal of the seat flowing soas to close the aperture in the seat is obviated.

In addition to its characteristic of semirigidity above explained, theseat formed of my improved alloy is suiiiciently soft so that hardparticles of grit. sediment, or other foreign matter which may lodge onthe seat v will not hold the valve away from the seat so as to causeleakage, but if the foreign particle is too hard to be crushed betweenthe valve and the seat under the ordinary working pressures exerted bythe valve against the seat, the hard particle will be forced into thebody of the seat itself, and

Application filed January 29, 1926. Serial No. 84,559.

embedded therein so as to permit a complete leak-tight closure of theValve against the seat.

"With these desiderata, ofsufiicient soft For the particular purposeabove mentioned, as. illustrative of one use of my invention, I preferto employ 96 tin and 3-{,%'silver, but comparatively satisfactoryresults may be attained with some variations of these proportions,anywhere between 95 and 97 70 tin and 5 and 2 silver.

The two metals are thoroughly mixed together in molten condition until ahomogeneous composition or-mixture is attained,

whereupon the resultant alloy may be cast in any desired'shape, may bemachined, or

otherwise worked, should occasion demand.

'VVhile I have described the preferred proportions of the materials comrised in my novel alloy, it should be un erstood'that some latitude ofvariation in these proportions is contemplated within the scope of mymvcntion as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. An alloy consisting of the following ingredients in substantially theproportions specified: Tin, 95 to: 97 70, and silver, 2 to 5%. i

. 2. An alloy consisting of tin and silver in the proportions of 27parts of tin to one part of silver.

In witness of the foregoing I afiix my signature.

WARD S. IRELAND.

